High Wire Distilling Co.http://charlestonmag.com/term/2518/all
enIn Good Spiritshttp://charlestonmag.com/features/in_good_spirits
<div class="field field-name-field-issue-pubdate field-type-date field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">05/2016</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-isprimary field-type-list-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">no</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-subhead field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>The owners of High Wire Distilling Co. imbue a 19th-century single house with soulful folk art &nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-photo-gallery field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photo gallery:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="galleria-content clearfix" id="galleria-1">
<a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-146_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-146_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-146_0.jpg?itok=j_VVRWII" width="32" height="40" alt="" title="Ann Marshall and Scott Blackwell with their Lab, Sophie" /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-319_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-319_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-319_0.jpg?itok=VD7Oxp_v" width="30" height="40" alt="" title=" The couple’s folk-art collection could fill a museum." /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-310_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-310_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-310_0.jpg?itok=mX8OFOtW" width="50" height="32" alt="" title="In the gallery-like dining room, built-ins display sculptures and smaller works" /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-364_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-364_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-364_0.jpg?itok=flYf9Q88" width="50" height="33" alt="" title="A coffee table made out of beadboard epitomizes the couple’s laid-back, Americana style. “It’s been painted five times and scratched up; you can put your feet on it,” Ann says. “The running theme to everything we do is approachability.” " /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-392_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-392_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-392_0.jpg?itok=t3O7zZF5" width="26" height="40" alt="" title="One of Scott’s favorite large-scale paintings presides over the hearth. The handiwork of his friend, the late Purvis Young, it depicts two angels watching over the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, where Young resided." /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-409_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-409_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-409_0.jpg?itok=Om5SA9f9" width="26" height="40" alt="" title="pop art: Mr. Coke (marker and acrylic on wood) by the late Georgia artist Howard Finster; his Elvis at 3 painting on plywood stands near sculptures by Burgess Dulaney of Fulton, Mississippi, on the living room mantel (opposite, bottom right)." /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-294_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-294_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-294_0.jpg?itok=5fN0Hp0F" width="33" height="40" alt="" title="An avid baker, Scott spends a lot of down time here, surrounded by memories of old friends, including Alabama artist Mose Tolliver, whose works flank the arched doorway, and Louisiana’s J.P. Scott, whose carved and painted boats anchor above the cabinets. " /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-295_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-295_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-295_0.jpg?itok=XVp0fHiu" width="28" height="40" alt="" title="Two fireplaces cozy things up in the ship-like kitchen; the hearths are historic, but the clean-lined surrounds and mantels feel modern. " /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-49_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-49_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-49_0.jpg?itok=ccLhdifS" width="50" height="31" alt="" title="A guest room plays host to several paintings by Jimmy Lee Sudduth, of Alabama, including Sawmill above the fireplace and Musician above the bed. " /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-72_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-72_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-72_0.jpg?itok=dY32rAPI" width="26" height="40" alt="" title="The colorful table was crafted by B. F. Perkins of Alabama." /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-60_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-60_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-60_0.jpg?itok=97PEJbYl" width="26" height="40" alt="" title="Mississippi artist Sarah Mary Taylor’s Statue of Liberty hand-sewn cotton quilt brightens up a simple wooden desk. " /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-108_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-108_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-108_0.jpg?itok=EIELwany" width="33" height="40" alt="" title="A neutral palette allows the colorful artwork—including a painting by Lorenzo Scott of Atlanta and quilt by Maggie Lou Williams of Bowman, South Carolina—to command visual attention. " /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-412_0.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-412_0.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-412_0.jpg?itok=Mje_kdcZ" width="27" height="40" alt="" title="A close-up of a mixed-media work by Earl Simmons of Bovina, Mississippi" /></a><a href="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-310.jpg" rel="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/cm2016_3_blackwell-310.jpg"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/galleria_thumb/public/cm2016_3_blackwell-310.jpg?itok=iVn8Ln_c" width="40" height="40" alt="" /></a></div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>There&rsquo;s nothing like the impending arrival of more than 100 guests to inspire some long-delayed nest-feathering. Just ask Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall. Two years after moving into their saffron-yellow Society Street single house, they were ready to party. The couple had just wrapped an incredible few years: after selling their North Carolina-based Immaculate Baking Company to General Mills in 2012, they moved to the Holy City in 2013 to launch High Wire Distilling. Since then, the small-batch spirits biz has soared; its artisanal liquors dot the drink menus at local hot spots and garner nods from national publications such as Travel &amp; Leisure.</p>
<p>So when a friend suggested the serial entrepreneurs put their three-story stucco manse to good use by co-hosting a shindig coinciding with the 2015 Charleston Wine + Food festival, they happily agreed.</p>
<p>With its easy-circulating second-story piano nobile (that&rsquo;s architecture speak for a view-maximizing elevated recreational floor, in this case, the living and dining zones are connected to an airy kitchen house via a glass bridge), double side piazzas, and a lush courtyard punctuated with a modern bluestone pool, the 3,800-square-foot place was party-ready. Except for one major issue: the walls were totally bare.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t hang any art for over a year,&rdquo; Scott admits. It wasn&rsquo;t for lack of options. A longtime folk-art collector, Scott owns hundreds of paintings, sculptures, carvings, quilts, and more, all crafted by the untrained rural Southern artists&mdash;including Lonnie Holley and Howard Finster&mdash;he&rsquo;s long championed. He&rsquo;s been collecting these works since his 20s, when he landed a summer job driving a seafood truck up and down the coast. During his travels, he saw Gullah women making quilts and sweetgrass baskets; inspired, he picked up the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art and began road-tripping down two-lane byways throughout the Southeast to find and befriend the makers catalogued in its pages, amassing a veritable museum&rsquo;s worth of their works.</p>
<p>In the past, he&rsquo;d always been passionate about sharing these pieces with a larger audience. (To that end, he founded the Folk Artist&rsquo;s Foundation; produced a documentary, All Rendered Truth: Folk Art in the American South, to shed light on the subject; and even incorporated folk art into Immaculate Baking&rsquo;s branding.) But most of his vast collection was languishing in storage while the duo focused their creative energies elsewhere.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We were full-tilt in constructing High Wire and making lots of design decisions for the business, so when we got home at night, the last thing we wanted to do was hang art,&rdquo; Scott says. &ldquo;When it comes to folk art, more is better&mdash;you can clutter up a wall with it, and it looks great. I would occasionally pick up a nail and a hammer and throw up one piece, but then I&rsquo;d end up taking it down. It was one step forward, two steps back.&rdquo;</p>
<p>With a party on the horizon, though, Scott and Ann were motivated to get to work. And happily, their abode&rsquo;s clean lines provided the ideal backdrop for their colorful, homespun art&mdash;which is why they were attracted to the property in the first place.</p>
<p>When they first moved to town, they couldn&rsquo;t reconcile the typical Charleston home with their decidedly laid-back style. &ldquo;We looked at several houses with triple crown molding&mdash;very ornate,&rdquo; Ann recalls. &ldquo;The folk-art collection is not built for super-traditional architecture, so we were a little intimidated as to how it would fit in.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, they were staying in the Jervey House, an 18th-century Ansonborough mansion divvied into condos. Their unit overlooked a neighboring historic home that stood out for its use of contemporary materials, including glass, concrete, and slate. From their vantage point, they glimpsed a second-story terrace bordered by a sleek steel railing, and beyond that, surprisingly stripped-down interiors. &ldquo;There were no window treatments, so we could see it was minimalistic and clean inside, too. We&rsquo;d say, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s the kind of place we want to be in,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ann recalls.</p>
<p>It felt like kismet when one day soon after, while cruising the block with their yellow Lab, Sophie, the couple spied a &ldquo;for sale&rdquo; sign in front of the very home they&rsquo;d been admiring. They called their agent and asked to tour the place; walking through its rooms, they were struck by how modern it felt for a structure built in 1854.</p>
<p>And indeed, the property has seen several rebirths. The original owner, Juliana Dupr&eacute;, erected the house within the existing footprint of a building destroyed in the great fire of 1838. More than a century later, in 1961, the residence was refreshed as part of Historic Charleston Foundation&rsquo;s Ansonborough rehabilitation project. A few decades later, there was need for another major overhaul: &ldquo;Hugo ripped the roof right off,&rdquo; Scott says. After the storm, the then-owner streamlined the interiors, preserving the masonry and woodwork but eschewing unnecessary flourish.</p>
<p>The results couldn&rsquo;t be better suited to Scott and Ann, two history buffs. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in the business of looking back on heirloom grains and processes for the distillery, so we like having a house with a story,&rdquo; notes Scott. On a rare day off, you might find the avid baker in the ship-like kitchen, jamming to Waylon Jennings, turning out blueberry scones and biscuits, and pondering the hands that, almost two centuries ago, may have hoisted the original beams for the vaulted ceiling.</p>
<p>A good story is really all that&rsquo;s needed to spark this couple&rsquo;s curiosity&mdash;and it doesn&rsquo;t have to be tethered to anything grand or highfalutin. When it came to furnishing their place, for example, the couple pulled from high- and low-end sources to cultivate an old-school Americana aesthetic. They snagged a few high-quality antiques from various auction houses, but also looked to favorite &ldquo;junk-tique&rdquo; stores for lived-in pieces that jive with their rustic art, which is often made from house paint, plywood, tin, and other found materials. &ldquo;We love to find the real gems that add a lot of character, the ones with dents and scratches that look like they&rsquo;ve been around the world a time or two,&rdquo; Ann says, gesturing to the beadboard trunk that serves as their coffee table. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Against a backdrop of white walls and aged wood, the assemblage of art and well-worn antiques creates a welcoming atmosphere. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have very much formal furniture, where people hesitate as to whether they should actually sit in that chair or not,&rdquo; Ann says. &ldquo;If you feel like putting your feet up, by all means, put your feet up.&rdquo;</p>
<p>And with the folk art finally hung, the walls now reflect the varied voices of the craftspeople Scott so admires. &ldquo;Hanging out with these artists; they really set the perspective,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;They have a purpose and a flow to their lives: making something and taking it out to the world.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Since that inaugural shindig, Scott and Ann have had many occasions to gather pals and fellow food-and-bev insiders at their place, and the art is always a conversation starter. Scott embraces these chats as opportunities to reflect on the artists he finds inspiring. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been looking at this art for 25 years; it&rsquo;s very familiar to me, so there&rsquo;s some taking it for granted. But when people want to go through the house and talk about the art, it reinvigorates my passion.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-typetags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">FEATURE TYPE:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/features/the_charleston_home">The Charleston Home</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tagsfeatures field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">GENERAL TAGS:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/charleston_home_garden">home &amp; garden</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/charleston_charleston_home_and_garden">Charleston home and garden</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/charleston_home">Charleston Home</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/high_wire_distilling_co">High Wire Distilling Co.</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-writernewtax field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">WRITER:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/bridget_venatta">Bridget Venatta</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographernewtax field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">PHOTOGRAPHER:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/julia_lynn_0">Julia Lynn</a></div></div></div>Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:24:03 +0000Rory Johnson25882 at http://charlestonmag.comCreativehttp://charlestonmag.com/features/creative
<div class="field field-name-field-issue-pubdate field-type-date field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">03/2015</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-isprimary field-type-list-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">no</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><strong>19. Bibliolabs</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:&nbsp;</strong>Works with leading publishers and cultural institutions around the world to find new audiences for the books, maps, images, documents, sounds, and videos the firm digitizes, publishes, and curates</p>
<p><strong>Factoid: </strong>The company is basically the same team that founded BookSurge, the world&rsquo;s first integrated global print-on-demand and publishing services company, in 2000. They sold that company to Amazon in 2005, where it was re-branded as CreateSpace.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership:</strong> Mitchell Davis, founder and chief business officer</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.biblioboard.com">www.biblioboard.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Charleston</p>
<p><strong>Employees: </strong>15 (2013)</p>
<p><strong>Revenue:</strong> $17.5 million (2011)<br />
&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>20. Callie&rsquo;s Biscuits</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:</strong> Produces and sells seven varieties of biscuits, as well as other packaged Southern food products, via its websites, retailers across the country, and at its first retail location opened on King Street in 2014</p>
<p><strong>Factoid:</strong> The annual number of biscuits sold is more than one million, and in a single holiday season, they use more than 10,000 pounds of butter.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership:&nbsp;</strong>Carrie Morey, CEO</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.calliesbiscuits.com">www.calliesbiscuits.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Charleston and North Charleston</p>
<p><strong>Employees: </strong>20</p>
<p><strong>Revenue:</strong> $500,000-$1 million</p>
<p><strong>Years in Business:</strong> 10</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>21. Escapada living</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:&nbsp;</strong> Designs beach and resort wear sold in 2,000 boutiques and resorts around the world, including the Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton</p>
<p><strong>Factoid:</strong> Coastal Living named Escapada as one of its four &ldquo;favorite best-kept secret fashion lines.&rdquo; Since then, the company has expanded into retail, opening the doors to its flagship store in Mount Pleasant in November 2013. &nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Leadership:</strong>&nbsp;Natalia Castillo, founder</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.escapadaliving.com">www.escapadaliving.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location: </strong>Mount Pleasant</p>
<p><strong>Employees:</strong> 21</p>
<p><strong>Revenue: </strong>$4.6 million</p>
<p><strong>Years in Business: </strong>6</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>22. High Wire Distilling Co.</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:&nbsp;</strong>Charleston&rsquo;s first downtown distillery since Prohibition produces premium, handcrafted, small-batch spirits, including vodka, gin, rum, and whiskey, using an ingredient-focused, culinary approach.</p>
<p><strong>Factoid</strong>: Last summer, High Wire partnered with Anson Mills and Clemson University Coastal Research Farm to grow a rare, nearly extinct variety of heirloom corn called &ldquo;Jimmy Red,&rdquo; which was distilled last fall, is currently aging in barrels, and is awaiting its late spring release.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership: </strong>Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall, co-founders</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.highwiredistilling.com">www.highwiredistilling.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location: </strong>Charleston</p>
<p><strong>Employees:</strong> 4</p>
<p><strong>Revenue:</strong> N/A</p>
<p><strong>Years in Business:</strong> 2</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>23. Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:</strong> Designs and sells cocktail mixers, bar tools, and garnishes</p>
<p><strong>Factoid:</strong> Last fall, Liquor.com named Jack Rudy bitters among the &ldquo;12 Best Locally Made Bitters in the U.S.A.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Leadership: </strong>Brooks Reitz, CEO, and Taylor Huber, CFO</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.jackrudycocktailco.com">www.jackrudycocktailco.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Charleston</p>
<p><strong>Employees:</strong> 4</p>
<p><strong>Revenue:</strong> N/A</p>
<p><strong>Years in business:</strong> 5</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>24. Levelwing &nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:</strong> A digital marketing firm offering media, social, and analytics services to help businesses market with greater clarity and profitability (See profile on page 130.)</p>
<p><strong>Factoid:</strong> Levelwing has made the Inc. 5000 list four times, ranking No. 688 in 2010 and 1,971 in 2013.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership:</strong> Steve Parker Jr., CEO and co-founder</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.levelwing.com">www.levelwing.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Mount Pleasant</p>
<p><strong>Employees: </strong>46</p>
<p><strong>Revenue: </strong>Increased by 155 percent from 2013 to 2014</p>
<p><strong>Years in business: </strong>13</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>25. Moondog Animation Studio</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:</strong> A feature film studio that aims to create substantial and life-changing animation content that is highly entertaining</p>
<p><strong>Factoid:</strong> MOONDOG&rsquo;s first feature film will encompass three years of work and utilize 375 &ldquo;man years&rdquo; to complete the project, i.e. if one man was working on it, it would take him 375 years.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership</strong>: Bryan Ransom, CEO; Ben Davis, CTO; and&nbsp;Jean Marc (JM) Khayat, COO</p>
<p><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.moondoganimation.com">www.moondoganimation.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location:</strong> Mount Pleasant</p>
<p><strong>Employees:</strong> 6</p>
<p><strong>Revenue:</strong> Start-up</p>
<p><strong>Years in business:</strong> 1</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>26. Vapor Apparel</strong></p>
<p><strong>What it does:&nbsp;</strong> Manufactures customized performance apparel and accessories for sublimation printing and offers print-on-demand apparel solutions for e-commerce and specialty retailers under the Vapor Apparel brand. Owns and operates outdoor lifestyle brands Altered Latitudes and Meridian Line, which are available at outdoor retailers throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. (See profile page on 127.)</p>
<p><strong>Factoid:</strong> Vapor Apparel recently broke ground on a new manufacturing facility in Union, South Carolina, which will employ 110-plus people over the next five years. The company has grown consistently year-over-year and has made South Carolina Business magazine&rsquo;s list of the &ldquo;Top 25 Fastest-Growing Companies&rdquo; two of the last five years.</p>
<p><strong>Leadership:</strong> Jackson Burnett, president and co-founder; and Christopher Bernat, chief revenue officer and co-founder</p>
<p><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="http://www.vaporapparel.com">www.vaporapparel.com</a> <a href="http://www.alteredlatitudes.com">www.alteredlatitudes.com</a> <a href="http://www.themeridianline.com">www.themeridianline.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Location: </strong>North Charleston</p>
<p><strong>Employees:</strong> 50+</p>
<p><strong>Revenue:</strong> N/A</p>
<p><strong>Years in business: </strong>11</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-typetags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">FEATURE TYPE:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/features/dynamic_companies">Dynamic Companies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tagsfeatures field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">GENERAL TAGS:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/vapor_apparel">Vapor Apparel</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/moondog_animation_studio">Moondog Animation Studio</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/jack_rudy_cocktail_co">Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/high_wire_distilling_co">High Wire Distilling Co.</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/escapada_living">Escapada Living</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/bibliolabs">Bibliolabs</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-writernewtax field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">WRITER:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/dan_mccue">Dan Mccue</a></div></div></div>Mon, 23 Feb 2015 22:33:42 +0000Rory Johnson22021 at http://charlestonmag.comWant to Meet Big Bad Chef?http://charlestonmag.com/newsletters/want_to_meet_big_bad_chef
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,'Bitstream Vera Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">John Currence is coming to town to sign copies of <em>Pickles, Pigs &amp; Whiskey</em>, his new cookbook. <em>Photograph courtesy of Home Team PR</em></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,'Bitstream Vera Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: bold;"> NOVEMBER 13, 2013</span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 36px; line-height: 48px; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> Want to Meet Big Bad Chef?</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><em>
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Chef John Currence visits High Wire Distilling Co. for a one-night-only book signing fête <br>
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</em></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,'Bitstream Vera Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">written by<span style="font-family: Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,'Bitstream Vera Sans',sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 16px; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> <strong>Kinsey Gidick </strong></span><br>
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<p style="margin: 0pt 0pt 18px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 1.6em;">You have to appreciate a cookbook that pairs a song with each dish. Such is the case in <em>Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey</em> (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $40), the debut tome from Oxford, Mississippi, chef John Currence, who visits Charleston next Tuesday for a book signing at High Wire Distilling Co. In the book, the chef who helms multiple ovens, including that of famed City Grocery, dishes up smoked mushroom tamales with Lucinda William’s “Drunken Angel;” serves his Blood Marys with a side of Guns n’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.” And, my personal favorite, suggests Ray Charles’ “Drown in My Own Tears” with his sweet corn pudding. (Lawd have mercy, Ray, it brings a tear to my eyes too just thinking about that puddin’.)
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But it’s not just the “song with your soup” scheme that makes this book so entertaining. It’s the tales Currence spins along the way in his classic, irreverent voice. <br />
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<strong>On duck prosciutto:</strong> “In my experience, this has been the charcuterie hack’s easy go-to, &#8216;hey-look-at-me-I’m-doing-charcuterie’ item.”<br />
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<strong>On black pepper:</strong> “Immediately throw away any pre-ground black pepper you have.”<br />
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<strong>On “grown-up” drinks:</strong> “I don’t much go in for overwrought, froufrou cocktails.” <br />
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<strong>On lard:</strong> “Don’t engage the lard enemies as more often than not, they have no f#*$ing idea what they are talking about.”<br />
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<em>Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey</em> displays what admirers have long since suspected, that the man they call “Big Bad Chef” can tell a great story almost as well as he can cook a great meal. And now Charleston fans have a chance to meet the author themselves for a taste and tell signing featuring bites from the book prepared by local chefs Jason Stanhope of FIG, Jeremiah Bacon of Macintosh and Oak, Josh Keeler of Two Boroughs Larder, Sean Brock of McCrady’s and Husk, and Stuart Tracy of Butcher & Bee. It’s an evening of culinary inspiration from a man who’s cooking advice is simple, “Find recipes that strike you, put on some music, relax, and surrender yourself to the process.” <br />
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<em>Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey Book Tour Event</em><br />
Tuesday, November 19, 6-8:30 p.m. <br />
High Wire Distilling Co., 652 King St.<br />
$85 per person (includes copy of book)<br>
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For tickets, click <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-currence-pickles-pigs-whiskey-book-tour-event-tickets-8460580825" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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For more local events, click <a href="http://charlestonmag.com/calendar-of-events" target="_blank">here</a>.
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</div></div></div>Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:27:46 +0000Gulfstream18751 at http://charlestonmag.comHigh Spiritshttp://charlestonmag.com/features/high_spirits
<div class="field field-name-field-issue-pubdate field-type-date field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">12/2013</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-isprimary field-type-list-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">no</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-writer field-type-node-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Written By:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Erica Jackson Curran</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-photographer field-type-node-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Photography By:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ruta Elvikyte</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-subhead field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Catching up with Scott Blackwell, the serially successful food and bev entrepreneur behind High Wire Distilling Co.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-photo field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://charlestonmag.com/sites/default/files/styles/675wide/public/Highspiritsmain.jpg?itok=m6DevNw2" width="675" height="833" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>When Scott Blackwell and his wife, Ann Marshall, sold Immaculate Baking Company to General Mills last winter, they found themselves at a crossroads. The creative couple had a dozen business plans on the table, and they were ready for a fresh start. They both kept gravitating toward the idea of opening a brewery in Charleston that would allow them to get back to small-batch production, but then Ann had a better idea: craft distilling. They quickly switched gears, opening High Wire Distilling Co. on King Street in September. High Wire offers tours and tastings of their first products, vodka and rum.</p>
<p><strong>CM</strong>: Coming from a baking background, how did you learn to distill liquor?<br />
<strong>SB</strong>: My baking education and experience offered a solid foundation for distilling. I am well-versed in grains, sugars, and yeasts and have been able to apply a lot of that knowledge to formulating our grain bills and troubleshooting the fermenting and distilling processes. Ann and I also know a lot about sourcing ingredients and equipment; setting up manufacturing lines; and dealing with the sales, marketing, and distribution side of things.</p>
<p><strong>CM</strong>: What liquor do you plan to introduce next?<br />
<strong>SB:</strong> We have always loved Mike Lata&rsquo;s sticky sorghum bread pudding and had some enlightening conversations with John T. Edge about sorghum as an historical Southern crop. We contacted the Guenthers in Tennessee, a Mennonite family who has been cultivating sorghum for decades, and asked them to send us a 55-gallon drum of syrup. We fermented and distilled it using a very pure formula into a sort of whiskey we call &ldquo;Sorghum Shine.&rdquo; We are aging it now to add even more complex flavor and plan to release it early next year.</p>
<p><strong>CM</strong>: How is High Wire fitting into Charleston&rsquo;s F&amp;B scene?<br />
<strong>SB</strong>: The food and beverage crowd has been absolutely amazing. We have loved brainstorming with chefs and bakers and breweries and scheming up countless possible collaborations.</p>
<p><strong>CM</strong>: Do you think High Wire is a good fit because Charleston is such a drink-friendly town?<br />
<strong>SB</strong>: Yes, but more than that, we think Charleston is a very social town. Spirits are a natural accompaniment to great conversation, merriment, and fabulous food, and there is an abundance of those things around here! It&rsquo;s a pretty open-minded, curious, adventurous community, and all of those things translate into a really supportive fan base for us.</p>
<p><strong>CM</strong>: What&rsquo;s your favorite cocktail?<br />
<strong>SB:</strong> My go-to drink for winter is a Papa Doble. It was made famous by the Floridita in Cuba, a place that fascinates me.</p>
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<p><strong>Business Review</strong></p>
<p>A look at the companies<br />
Blackwell has founded over three decades</p>
<p><strong>My Pies, 1986-1992:</strong>&nbsp; After baking pies to pay his way through college, Blackwell got a commercial space and landed a Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s distributorship.<br />
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<strong>Immaculate Consumption Caf&eacute;, 1989-1997:</strong>&nbsp; He started and ran this Columbia natural foods restaurant and coffee shop before selling it.<br />
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<strong>Little River Co., 1992-2002:&nbsp;</strong> Blackwell opened one of the first micro-batch coffee roasters in the state, later selling the business to a pal, who still owns it.<br />
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<strong>Immaculate Baking Co., 1995-2012:</strong>&nbsp; Beginning in his garage, Blackwell created a baking operation that was so successful, General Mills bought him out in 2012.<br />
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<strong>High Wire Distilling Co., May 2013-present:&nbsp;</strong> Blackwell and his wife, Ann Marshall, are offering tastings of vodka and rum, with more spirits on the way.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-feature-typetags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">FEATURE TYPE:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/features/local_seen">Local Seen</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-publication field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">PUBLICATION:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/charleston_magazine">Charleston Magazine</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tagsfeatures field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">GENERAL TAGS:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/scott_blackwell">Scott Blackwell</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/high_wire_distilling_co">High Wire Distilling Co.</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-writernewtax field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">WRITER:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/erica_jackson_curran">Erica Jackson Curran</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographernewtax field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">PHOTOGRAPHER:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/ruta_elvikyte_0">Ruta Elvikyte</a></div></div></div>Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:03:27 +0000Gulfstream18749 at http://charlestonmag.com